New Zealand setting the standard

So says Datamars, the Swiss company that recently bought Tru-Test and Simcro.

Datamars’ global chief executive Klaus Ackerstaff, on a recent visit here, said NZ’s linking animal ID, management and decision-making “could be one of the country’s greatest contributions to world agriculture”.

The merger combines Tru-Test’s animal weighing, electric fence, milk meter and data systems and Simcro’s animal health delivery products with Datamars’ animal ID technologies.

Ackerstaff says agriculture’s biggest challenge is to produce more with less, while reducing environmental effects and ensuring animal wellbeing. 

Central to this process will be ‘knowing’ animals at an individual level, understanding their growth and health needs and having the necessary data to decide how best to farm them. 

Ackerstaff says his company’s vision is for full farmer control of animal feeding, health treatment and attention to their individual needs.

“Tru-Test and farming partners in NZ have laid the groundwork for integrating animal identification, animal performance management and business decision making intuitively and workably onfarm,” he told Rural News. 

“Buzzwords like ‘smart integrated solutions’ mean nothing to farmers unless they’re practical and intuitive. 

“So NZ’s integrating identification with animal management and data driven decisionmaking could be [a huge] contribution to world agriculture.”

Ackerstaff says Tru-Test’s data aggregation system was the ideal platform for farmers to manage animal health, wellbeing and production, make decisions and measure the resulting difference – with ‘measurability of difference’ being the standout achievement for farmers.

“It’s one thing to make a difference, it’s another altogether to know exactly what that difference is, how it was achieved and how it can be repeated or improved on,” Ackerstaff said.